The invention relates generally to the field of writing instruments. Particularly, the invention relates to pencils with erasers.
Graphite or lead pencils are well known and are often used for drawing and writing. Lead pencils may have a graphite center for drawing in gray or black on a paper or page. Lead pencils may have a colored center for drawing in colors, such as red green or blue, on a paper or page.
At a sharp end of lead pencils there is a tip or point of the graphite or colored center extending from a conical portion of the body which surrounds the graphite or colored lead center. When the tip or point breaks or wears out, a user need only sharpen the lead pencil to remove additional body material surrounding the graphite or colored center in order that a new tip or point of graphite or color appear for writing or drawing. As the tip or point of graphite or color is dragged across an object such as paper, graphite or color can be left behind on the object to leave a mark. In some cases, particularly when drawing, it is desirable to remove the graphite or color and the marks using an eraser.
For convenience, some lead pencils include an inexpensive rubber eraser affixed to a butt end of the pencil, opposite the sharp end having the tip or point. A user need only rub the rubber eraser over a mark on the object and the graphite or color of the mark may be removed. As the eraser is rubbed over surfaces of objects, some rubber is worn off reducing its length and the usable amount of the eraser.
In many instances, the rubber eraser on the end of the pencil is used often to erase. Typically, the rubber eraser that is fixed to the end of the pencil is relatively short in comparison to the length of the available lead pencil. Thus, the eraser can quickly be worn out to little usable length. In this case, a user is often left with a long pencil with no usable eraser affixed to the end. In another case, the eraser affixed to the end of the pencil is often abused by a user by biting or chewing it to a minimal length so that its unusable.
With no usable eraser affixed to the end, a user may choose to avoid using the pencil. Older pencils without usable erasers seem to stockpile around desks, may be hidden in drawers, or are thrown out. New pencils with new erasers are often purchased only to obtain pencils with usable erasers, even though older pencils with no usable eraser have a substantial amount of lead pencil remaining which can be used to draw and write.